Micro - Ice Fishing Sunnies

[TackleBoxMike]

Let's say the Sunnies are slow at biting so heres what I've done to entice Sunnies. I'd like to call it micro-fishing. I'll start by explaining what I have now the rod I use is a ultra-light ice fishing rod and reel combo. On the reel I line up with 2 Lbs. test line. The tackle I use for micro-fishing is the super small light wight bobbers and spit-shot BB size or smaller and again super small tear drop jigs and hooks. The bait I'd use would be wax worms or mousies or minnow heads or tails. Now this has worked and helped me entice the Sunnies into biting. If you fisherman have any other ideas please feel free to help me out with some micro-ice fishing ideas ? Thank you.

TackleBoxMike

[Matt Johnson]

Good topic Mike!

I often times find myself dropping down to 1/200oz jigs for finessing panfish into biting. I also like the "dust-shots" by Thill. They are very small weights. What I do is spread them apart about 3 inches from eachother. This gives me enough weight to get the tiny jig down to the fish but it doesn't have enough weight for the fish to feel much resistance when they take the bait. I also use just single maggots, mostly eurolarva or small spikes. Small finesse plastics are prime in situations like this too.

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[icehousebob]

I've been out for sunnies when all they do is look at the jig. Any jigging spooked them and a stationary jig lost their interest. I switched to a plain #12 hook,covered with a waxie and no weight. Just coil some line on top of the water and let the jig sink, ever so sloooowly. They sometimes will hit if they think its getting away. An alternate method is to rig with a slipbobber a smidgen too small.Ice Buster bobbers work good for this. Trim it so that the bobber takes a minute of so to drop a foot. Many times, you'll detect a bite because the bobber stops falling or starts moving to the side of the hole.

[Lost]

Great ideas! But you mentioned something has has me wondering...

What are "mousies"?

[Matt Johnson]

Mousees are a type of maggot, but with a thin tail. They are like a smaller waxworm. Kinda cool, and they work pretty well if you can find them...

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[Lost]

Ahhh... thanks Matt! I saw "mousies" and thought "pinkies", baby mice. Hmmm... I wonder if pinkies would work for walleye and northerns?

[The Grebe]

Lost...you will have to "spearmint" with them mousies cause they have a tendency to "Splode" if your hook is'nt as sharp as it should be, or you hook them wrong...kinda like threading on the little grubs out of Golden rods...tricky in cold weather (I fish outside alot). Likely as not, you will end up with a little glob resembling a picked pimple with a tail!

I never had to much success with either bait? I'am a waxie fan to the end, although I have been outfished on occassion by someone in our group using the different colored Maggies, I like to think that I can hold my own, most of the time, sticking with that bait and different presentations and/or colors, styles and sizes of jigs, etc.

[huskiesplayer15]

Vados has them regularly and they work great on crappies. tipped on a marmooska jig.

Best Fishes

Chris

[The Grebe]

You know, I have found that when I'am fishing sunnies, in most cases, if the tip of the hook is showing, it puts a damper on the bite, so I always try to keep it covered.

Also, if there is a ragged little piece of bait hanging off of the jig, it seems this is what the fish grab first...that is another reason I don't mess with mousies very often, I think the sunnies come in an grab those little tails that are poking out, or are put off by them, the same as the point of a hook?

This is just my opinion/observation of course, there are probably those that kick major league butt using mousies?

The Crappies, I don't think they are as picky as the gills? They are more inhalers, they see it, like it, inhale it and thats it, not nibblers and dinkers.

[CrappieJohn]

I don't know Grebe....Those crappies can be finicky too. I have watched crappies (both open and iced waters) suck up a small grub bait and blow that turkey back out faster than fast. What they are doing this for, I'd don't know. I have in fact seen them do this several times before simply swimming away. I often wonder if crappies are not sometimes the bullies of the panfish clan. So many times I have seen this occur and it becomes quite apparent that they are not the least bit interested in eating this thing...just bother it. Ans to make my point, I have also seen sunfish come in on the same bait that is being hounded by crappie after crappie ands suck the bug in and go like heck.

I know fish "taste" foods thru the nostrils as well as the mouth. I cannot help but wonder if the crappies have some ultra- sensitive tasting apparatus in their mouths that they use to make a final decision as to whether or not to eat something.

[delmuts]

both of you guys make interesting points, but i have another curve to throw in the mix. i've been doing real well with plastics this fall.( the jigs and spins rasto and wedgee) these both have very small tails and the hook pt. is exsposed and no bait is added, on a plain 1/80 lead head. the water is very clear, yet they are biting.is it possible they are more agressive now than in the winter? most of the fish are lip hooked. very few take it down deep.many of the hits are light. the fish are very color senitive. does the plastic anger them enough to attack and run with it, or is there something else? what do you guys think! del

[The Grebe]

CT, Delmuts....Glad to get onto something to get off that Wisconsin shooting...had me fired up all day, stomach is starting to hurt!

Anyways, I've seen the Crappies do that to, suck it in a blow it out without even moving the tiniest float, but I think they take bigger puffs then the sunnies? This is all through the ice mind you. Yes they definately can be finicky, but I don't think they are nibblers?

The sunnies, except for the big bulls that ease in and "pow" are more prone to jab then to throw the haymaker.

fiddle, fiddle, pop, pop, have you ever had one of them buggers whack you 3-4 times in a row and you miss him everytime? I have!

I'm a float fishermen, sometimes tight line, but never spring bobber...I really like seeing that cork pop, no matter what! When I have had a mind to, I watch what is going on down below, by throw a coat or something over my head and looking down the hole ...in the right kind of water, at the right depth, it beats messing with the Aqua View. ( Had about a 4 foot Muskie startle the dump out of me on Tonka one year doing that...he came through right under the ice).

I do believe that the panfish are not as picky in the open water as they are in the winter?

How many times have you caught them in the summer, on a regular tied fly and no bait, hook exposed and everything? How about a popper? How about on a chunk of nightcrawler, or on an angleworm that has been threaded on the hook, leaving the tip exposed...try any of this stuff in the winter and see what happens!

I'm sure there are instances, but for the most part, I believe that if your hook is showing, you decrease your chances, especially if the bite is finicky to begin with.

I feel the same about fake baits...as my wife calls them, "Cheater worms" I have tried them side by side on alot of occassions and never once have I had the fakes out do the real Jacksons! I have watched the pannies come up and bump the fakes and move off, only to whallop the waxie.

[delmuts]

Hmmmmm !!!! del

[Lost]

Mr Genz told us that in the butt end of them eurolarvae, there's a sack of something. Squeeze that sack out of the butt, hook the maggot through the sack only, and it will attract them panfish to it.

Hmmm... I wonder if he was telling the truth.

[augernaut]

Lost - yes, he was definitely telling you the truth. Look at the rear end of a maggot (eurolarvae), it has two dots. Now, ask yourself why on God's green earth you are looking at a maggot's butt... Ok, after you do that, gently squeeze the maggot until it bulges a little, there will be a little clear sac that comes out by it's butt. If you run the hookpoint through the sac and catch as little of the maggots body as you can, the maggot will stay alive on the hook and wriggle like crazy. Plus, the sac releases scent into the water. Great way to hook a maggot.

[The Grebe]

I was already to make a wisecrack remark about maggot butts, but you know, dang it, I can see where this would work and I'm going to try it and maybe put a little spin on it? I do believe this site is making me a better angler!

[The Grebe]

Don't get me wrong, the "Spin" is figuring out a way not to be pinching maggot butts! Maggies yes, maggots no!

[delmuts]

ooooh man! if some one sqeezed my butt so some sac came out and they ran a hook through it; i would wiggle like crazy too ! i couldn't resist!! any little tips like that for waxies?? del

[The Grebe]

Del...I don't know how long any of the larve will wiggle in the cold water, but I'll bet it is'nt going to be long!

That said, why could'nt a person thread one waxie on to cover the hook, give the fish a better prize and one to

take the point (Hee hee) and wiggle away? The point man so to speak.

It seems to me that if there is only one grub on the hook and barely hooked at one end, the sunnies are going to have a field day pulling them off when you set the hook?

I for one sure ain't going to become a maggot butt pincher for that!

[Matt Johnson]

Good point Grebe...

That will work quite often. Thread a maggot on over the hook and then add another as the enticing factor.

Another option is to "wacky rig" a maggot. Some people also call it T-boning. What you do is hook the maggot right in the middle and allow equal amounts to hang over on each side. You can get some real unique action with this technique, and I've found it to work on negative days.

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[jt24]

Del IMAO! needed a good laugh!

[CrappieJohn]

Don't forget to dye your waxies too. Take some of the sawdust and put it in four different film canisters. Add a different color food color to each one. Mix this up real good, adding more food color so you get the sawdust a solid color. Leave the canisters open for a couple days to dry the liquid from the sawdust. When it is dry, crumble it up again and add your waxies. Leave them be for a week and walla....colored waxies. Don't laugh.

[delmuts]

now that's interesting ! other than red; what colors do you use ?

[delmuts]

grebe. your muskie deal reminds me of back when the kids were little.( the twins are 18 now!) i think it was alex. he was laying on the fish house floor watching the blue gils. we were in about 3 ft. of water. suddenly he screamed and jumped up ! i looked over; a northern had just eased up under the hole and only about 6 in below the ice! good memories!!! del

[CrappieJohn]

I like to do the blue , yellow and green as well. Red and blue are the best colors I have found so far, but I am going to do a blue/red mix to get purple this year.